Flying
by OnlyHim
Summary: Danny and Steve are traveling by plane for the first time after the events of the season six finale. Things aren't so easy for them. A few spoilers for that episode.


Steve was rummaging through his bag, looking for his Ipod. He was usually very meticulous when packing so it should have been easy to find, but Danny had 'distracted' him when he was doing it, so now he had no idea where anything was. After pulling half his stuff out he finally found it, and now he was finishing putting it all back in. He straightened up, trying to get comfortable in the small space of his seat on the plane. He was untangling the earbuds cord when he noticed that Danny was awfully quiet beside him. Steve turned to look at Danny to see him staring straight ahead, eyes unfocused, his shoulders hard as a rock, barely breathing, hands wrapped so tight around the arm rest his knuckles were going white.

"Danny?"

Nothing. Steve wasn't even sure the man was blinking.

"Danny?" Steve said it a little louder now, placing his hand gently over Danny's arm. Still nothing.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Steve was shaking Danny's arm lightly, not letting go until Danny finally turned to look at him, as if coming out of a daze.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Danny replied in a quiet, dismissive tone.

"You don't look okay."

"I'm fine, Steven, really."

Steve kept his eyes trained on Danny, not sure how to proceed. He had no idea what was going on and Danny didn't look like he was willing to share.

"What?" Danny finally looked at Steve again, getting irritated now. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Because you're acting really strange. I just want to know what's the matter."

"Nothing's the matter. I said I'm fine. I'm fine. Can you let it go? If I said I'm fine it's because I'm fine."

"Danny..."

Steve kept staring at Danny, figuring that eventually Danny would give in and tell him what was going on. It took a whole five minutes, but it finally worked.

Danny let out a huge, heartfelt sigh. "I'm scared, okay." Danny's voice was so quiet Steve could barely hear him over the sound of the engines rumbling and the turbines turning beside them.

"Scared of what?"

Danny looked embarrassed, looking everywhere except Steve. "Of flying. I'm scared of flying," he finally said in a rush of breath.

"Since when? You've never had any problems before."

Danny still wasn't looking at Steve. "Since..." Danny's eyes moved over the general area of Steve's torso, a movement so small Steve almost missed it. That's why it took him a very long time to realize that Danny had been trying to indicate where his newest scar was.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Danny was quiet for a long time, still looking down, still tense. "It's just... It's all I can see, you know? I hear the engines, I think about the whole being in the air thing, and all I can see is you, covered in... and me having to land the damn thing, and..."

"Hey, hey." Steve turned around to face Danny – no small feat with legs that size and so little space between seats – and cupped Danny's face in his hands. "It's okay." Steve rubbed his thumbs over Danny's cheeks, trying to make him look at him. "I'm okay. I'm here. You saved me and I'm here."

"Yeah, but..."

"No buts. There's nothing else to it. You made it happen, because you're you, and I'm here, with you. Where I'll always be."

Danny finally glanced up and met Steve's eyes, sadness and the glint of slowly forming tears filling them.

"We're both too stubborn to let anything happen to us, okay?" Steve smiled, trying to make Danny relax. "We're too stubborn to let the other go, so it's not happening. It's never happening, alright?"

Danny nodded minutely and Steve leaned in to kiss him, soft and gentle, keeping it going for a while, until he felt Danny start to relax. Steve pulled back slowly. "Hey, have I thanked you yet for what you did?"

Danny let out a soft laugh and Steve thought that at that moment, there was no better sound in the world.

"Yeah, about five thousand times."

"Well, have I done it today?"

"No, not today." Danny was smiling.

"I'm deeply sorry about that. Won't happen again. Now look at me."

Danny fixed his gaze on Steve's eyes again, an expression of fond exasperation covering his beautiful face.

"Thank you for saving me, Danno. Thank you for giving me the chance to spend the rest of my life with you. And for doing it over and over again during all these years."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't get used to it. One day I'll come to my senses and realize that you're a lunatic beyond salvation."

"You already know that. And yet you keep doing it, and you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you love me." Steve couldn't help the smile that was growing on his face.

"You're an idiot." Danny was grinning. "C'mere."

Danny pulled Steve into a kiss that made them both warm and loose. When they broke the kiss, Steve put his arm around Danny's shoulder and pulled him close, Danny settling comfortably, nuzzling Steve's neck. They stayed like that for the rest of the flight, Danny calmly sleeping, head resting on Steve's shoulder.


End file.
